Antiskid means for vehicle wheels



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 MAICI'I 28, 1944. N. H CQP'P ANTISKID MEANS FOR VEHICLE WHEELS Filed June 18. 1942 lNvENToR y ff rn@ S March 28, 1944.

N. H. COPP ANTISKID MEANS FOR VEHICLE WHEELS Filed June 18, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VENTOR.

March 28, 1944. N, COPP 2,344,972

ANTISKID MEANS FOR VEHICLE WHEELS Filed June- 18, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 ihk Patented Mar. 28, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENTf-o-Frlci:

ANTISKID S FOR VEHICLE I` Nelson H. Copp, Rochester, N. Y., assignor of.y

one-half to Harold J. Nagle and one-half to Reginald A. Nagle, both of Rochester, N.v Y.

Application June 1s, i942, serial No. 447,514 f Claims.

' This invention relates to antiskid means for the tires of vehicle wheels. While the known antiskid chains of the fulL or standard variety, comprising side chains extending circumferentially on opposite sides of the wheel and connected intermittently by chains extending across the tread of the tire, have afforded an eicient traction grip for the tire on the road, such chains have not been entirely satisfactory, because the considerable labor of attaching them and removing them and the attendant soiling of the hands and clothing of the driver, have often prevented the use of the 'chains when actually required by driving conditions.

It has been proposed to employ instead one or more separate cross chains, or groups of cross chains, at one or more points spaced circumferentially about the wheel, and attached directly to the felly or rim portion of the Wheel. Such wheels commonly have openings in the disk adjacent the felly to permit the felly and tire to be encircled by such cross chains, but such mode of application of the cross chains has usually involved some difficulty in securing the' chains, as well as a tendency of the chains to shift in the opening and mar the felly and rim portionsV of the wheel. One robject of the invention is to provide,v for such wheels, a more simple, efficient, and convenient means for easily and quickly attaching one or more cross chains.

Another object is to provide an antiskid device oi the above character having means for gripping the wheel in a form of construction which is economical to manufacture and capable of being yreadily and securely fastened to the wheel and used without injury to the wheel finish.

A further object is to provide such a device capable of being easily, conveniently and quickly manipulated to apply and remove the cross chains, as conditions may require, with a minimum of soiling of the hands and clothing of the driver, so as to encourage the use of such antiskid means and promote the safety of the driving public. f

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of partsQall'as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation taken transversely through a vehicle wheel having the invention applied thereto; Y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, sectionaleview substantially on the line 2a -'2a in Fig. l; l

Fig. 3 is a view substantially ,on the line `Ita-#3a in Fig. 1; Fig. 4'is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig."3;' A

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, partly broken away.' showing a modied'construction;

Fig. 6 is'an enlarged perspective view of parts of the bracket for attachmentto theA wheel, andk Fig. 7 Yis a top plan viewofone or"l the members for anchoring the chainv ends onthe bracket.

Theinvention'is disclosed,in the present instance, byway-of illustration; as-applied to a disk-type, double truck wheelfmounting two tiresV Referring first to themodication-shown in Fig; l, the two wheel-disks are shown at liand 1|,

extending parallel Awith each-other adjacent the common type of wheel, as *well understood inY the art. Y Disk wheels have been commonly cone' structed with a *number* :of openings there-V through, 4spaced laround the circumference, through which, heretofore, antiskid chains have been inserted and secured around the felly and rim and across theA tread of the tire," and the present inventionis herein disclosed as adaptedy to `such type of "wheel," to provide K an 'improve constructionV for attaching the chains.

The' means for attachment to the wheelf'for securing the crossA 'chains' thereon comprisesl preferably, a bracket indicated generally' at I8,4

Figs. 1 and 6, having a clamping part,` preferably' in theknature of two spaced wings I'I and I8,"and a supportingpart I9, the clampingpart wings being inclined to the supporting part 'so as to lie against the outer face of theldislnas shown, with the wilgs'dn oppositeiside'sof'the disk openingi.' "The, supporting 'part "|91 pref` erably extends normally to the 'plane'lof the wheel and substantially',par'allelv with the 'bottom o f the rim I3, as shown; wana radially extending lug 20' adaptedf'to engage andvrstuponthe bottoni of'rim I3.vv u Y 'v v e The means for securing bracket lli to thev'wheeldisk comprises preferably a pair of `,boltsr2,l', Fig. 3, extending through openings v22 in*v the clamping par@ Wings "1 -4B :and ihrer@ Openiaafl iny weder .and through Openings 23.111. the clamp The felly of each wheel isfjpro-r ing plate 24, located on the opposite face of the disk. Clamping plate 24 is preferably of the same general shape as the angular clamping part of bracket I6, comprising wings similar to the wings I1 and I8 connected at their bases and spaced apart so as to lie on opposite sides of the disk opening I5. Such wings of both the clamping part and the clamping plate, however, overlap the ends of opening I5, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that the bolts 2I, while passing through the opening I5, will engage in the openings in the wings and draw the same together on opposite sides of the wheel disk, thus clamping the bracket to the disk, with lug 20 ofi supporting part I9 resting on the bottom of the rim, to hold the part I9 elevated to clear the felly. The bracket clamping part and the clamping plate are preferably further xed to the wheel disk, as by means of set screws 25, Figs. 3 and 4, threadedly engaged in openings in the bracket clamping part and having their ends screwed tightly against the surface of the disk to increase the frictional engagement therewith.

The means for attaching the ends of the traction increasing elements or cross chains ,2B to the bracket I6 comprises preferably a lug 21 securely mounted at one end in the bracket supporting part I9 and projecting radially inward therefrom. In the present instance, the lug is of generally cylindrical shape with varying diameter, having preferably an enlarged base portion 28 above which is a reduced cylindrical portion 29 for the reception of the anchoring member of the cross chain. Above portion 29 the lug is formed with a circumferential groove 33 providing by its outer side a laterally projecting shoulder 3I. The extremity of the lug is beveled or tapered to produce a somewhat pointed shape, as shown, all for purposes to be presently described.

The means for anchoring the cross chain ends comprises, preferably, an anchoring member, or bar, 32, having centrally therein a circular opening 33 adapted to receive the portion 29 of the lug, with the member 32 s eated on the enlarged portion 28 of the lug, as shown in Fig. 1. Member 32 is provided at its outer ends with openings 34 in which are engaged the terminal linksl 35 of a pair of cross chains 26, the anchoring member being thus arranged in the present instance to carry a pair of adjacent cross chains. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, each lug receives one anchoring member for one end of each chain, the pair of chains being carried across both tires of the double wheel, with their opposite ends secured to a similarly constructed anchoring member 36 on a similar lug 31 attached by similar bracket means to the other disk II, the construction being the same on each of the two disks.

The means for detachably securing each anchoring member on its lug comprises a resilient means, preferably a spring ring 38, Figs. 1 and 2, having therein a gap 39 to permit the ring to contract and expand. The ring is of such size as to closely' embrace lug 21 in its recess 38, so that the ring may be expanded by pressure 1ongitudinally of the lug to snap over the inclined sides of the lug shoulder 3I. For this purpose the ring is loosely retained in a sheet metalY housing 40, xed on the outer face of the anchoring member. The central, dome-shaped portion of the housing is of' suicient height to clear the upper end of lug 21l when inserted thraughv the anchoring member, but the outer portion of the housing, of less height but greater diameter, loosely retains the ring concentric with the opening 33 in the anchoring member in position for cooperation with the lug 21, as described.

It will be apparent from this construction that the anchoring member may be impaled upon the lug with the latter received in the opening 33 of the member and that mere downward pressure of the member, to its seat on base portion 28 of the lug, serves to snap the spring ring 38 over the shoulder 3I and into recess 38 of the lug to hold the member thereon. Similarly, upward pressure on the member serves to snap the ring over the lug shoulder and release the member for removal from the lug. It will be noted that housing 48 is closed so as to protect the parts against mud and ice and maintain them in eilicient working condition. The normal tension on the cross chains, resulting from centrifugal force and the tractive pull, tends to hold each anchoring member on its lug. The spring engagement of each member with its lug is sufcient to retain the member in place against any normal pressures in the opposite direction which might tend to displace the member from the lug, but each member may be easily and quickly removed by merely pressing it upwardly off the end of its lug. This pressure actuated device for releasably securing the cross chain anchoring member to the lug on the rim is disclosed and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 447,512, led June 18. 1942.

In Figs. 5 and 1 is shown a slightly modied construction in which each cross chain embraces a single tire. In this arrangement the construction of the bracket and its attachment to the wheel disk are the same as described above, except that the bracket lug 4I has above its seat portion 42, a portion 43 of substantially twice the longitudinal extent of the corresponding part in the modification previously described. Two anchoring members 44 and 45 are impaled upon the lug, one upon another, as shown, and each carrying the ends of a pair of cross chains. The lowermember 45, as shown in Fig. '1, has merely an unobstructed opening 46 for engagement over the lug, while the other member 44 is provided with a housing 41 and a spring retaining ring 48, as described in connection with the previous modications, the upper anchoring member serving to yieldingly retain both in place on the lug. The bracket clamping part and clamping plate, in this modification, as in the previous one, are preferably notched as at 49, to receive the terminal link 58 at one end of each cross chain which is passed through the opening I5 of the disk to facilitate engagement of the link with the lower anchoring member 45, as shown. It will be obvious that this modification is one adapted for use also with disk wheels of the single type forreceiving a single tire.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the above description and it will be seen that the invention accomplishes its objects. The brackets are readily and securely xed to the wheel disk and felly and once inserted, may thereafter be left in place on the wheel. Whenever road conditions require, the anchoring members of the cross chains may be easily and quickly impaled upon the bracket lugs after clearing the latter, if necessary, of any accumulation of mud or ice. rlhe spring Vretaining means of each anchoring member is protected by its housing as described. As this operation merely requires, in

each instance, the placing of one or a pair of chains across the tread of the tire and the impaling and pressing down of the chain anchoring members on the bracket lugs, the operation may be readily performed with a minimum of soilingof the driver and such ease of application encourages the use of the chains under all conditions in which they add to the safety of travel.

While the invention has been disclo-sed in connection with preferred modifications, such disclosure is intended by Way of illustration, rather than by Way of limitation, as it is contemplated that various changes in the construction and arrangement of the parts Will readily occur to those skilled in the art Within the spirit of the invention and the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an antiskid tire chain for a vehicle Wheel of the disk type, a bracket having a clamping part provided with means ior attaching the same to the disk portion of said Wheel, a supporting part extending at an angle to said clamping part for engagement with the felly portion of said Wheel, and a lug on said supporting part for attachment to the end of a traction increasing element eX- tended across a tire on said Wheel.

2. In an antiskid tire Chain for a vehicle Wheel of the disk type having an opening therethrough adjacent the felly portion of said Wheel, a bracket having a clamping part for engagement with one face of said disk, a clamping plate for engagement with the opposite face of said disk, bolt means for clamping said plate and clamping part together through said disk opening, a, supporting part on said bracket or`engaging the felly portion of said Wheel, and a lug on said supporting part for attachment to the end of a traction increasing element extended across a tire on said Wheel.

3. In an antiskid tire chain for a vehicle wheel of the disk type having an opening therethrough adjacent the felly portion of said Wheel, a bracket having a clamping part for engagement with one face of said disk, a clamping plate for engagement with the opposite face of said disk, said clamping part and plate having openings therethrough registering with said opening in said disk, bolt means extending through said disk opening and said openings in said clamping part and plate for clamping the same to said disk, `a supporting part on said bracket for engaging the felly portion of said wheel, and a lug on said supporting part for attachment to the end of a traction increasing element extended across a tire on said Wheel.

4. In an .antiskid tire chain for a vehicle Wheel of the disk type having an opening therethrough adjacent the ielly portion on said wheel, a bracket having a clamping part for engagement with one face of said disk, a clamping plate for engagement with the opposite face of said disk, said clamping part and plate having openings therethrough registering With said opening in said disk, bolt means extending through said disk opening and said openings in said clamping part and plate for clamping the same t0 said disk, a supporting part on said bracket for engaging the felly portion `oi? said Wheel, a lug on said supporting part, an anchoring member for the end of a traction increasing element extended across a, tire on said Wheel, `and cooperating parts Von said lug and member for releasably securing said member on said lug and said element on said Wheel.

5. In an antiskid tire chain for a vehicle Wheel of the disk type having an opening therethrough adjacent the felly portion of said wheel, a bracket having a clamping part for engagement with one face of said disk, a clamping plate for engagement with the opposite face of said disk, bolt means for clamping said plate and clamping part together through said disk opening, a supporting part on said bracket for engaging the felly portion of said wheel, a lug on said supporting part opposite said opening, a pair of anchoring members for attachment to the respective ends of a traction increasing element extended across a tire on said wheel and through said opening, and cooperating parts on said lug and members for releasably securing said members separately to said lug.

NELSQN H. COPP. 

